A suburban high school teacher is inspiring her community by taking on new challenges, even in the face of extreme adversity.
“It's humbling to see just the amount of grace that she has, and kindness,” said Malinda Majoch, the principal at Harold L. Richards High School in Oak Lawn.
Majoch is referring to Christina Kreil, a social studies teacher at the high school.
Kreil is teaching summer classes this year, replenishing her sick days after taking time off last school year when she had her right leg amputated below the knee due to a rare disease.
“On the top of my foot I developed a tumor. And when they tested it, it is called giant cell tumor of bone,” Kreil said.
While these types of tumors are not cancerous, they can spread.
“They had to amputate my foot and we did that to make sure that it wouldn't travel to my lungs. And then in September, we found out that it did travel to my lungs. And then in April, we found out that it's also in my lymph nodes,” Kreil said.
Despite that devastating news, Kreil still shows up every day for her students and her family, her husband, Jeff, and their two children.
She also shows up for her teammates. Kreel recently made the U.S. Women’s Amputee Soccer Team, a goal she achieved after having to relearn the sport she’s played her whole life.
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“It took me researching a couple videos online to figure out how do you play? What are the rules? Like, how do you run on crutches like this? It's wild,” Kreil said.
The only team member from Illinois, Kreil, 41, went to New York earlier this month to train with the team for an international competition.
“It's the first World Cup for Women's Amputee Soccer ever. And that's in Colombia, in the first week in November,” Kreil said.
Her colleagues at Richards High School are cheering her on.
“To see her on this team and to see her competing and to see her, like, battling it's is awe inspiring to say the least,” fellow social studies teacher Lydia Loureiro said.
While Kreil is fundraising to travel with the team to Colombia, she’s also trying to figure out what’s next for her rare disease.
“Now that it's in a vital organ, I'm looking for a drug trial or research or someone that knows about giant cell tumors that would be willing to help me,” Kreil said.
Although desperate for answers, Kreil says playing for Team USA gives her a new sense of purpose.
“I feel like a lot of moms will get this. So I got married and I became Mrs. Kreil in the classroom real quick. And then I became a mom. And then I became sick, so I become a lot of different things and it's just really nice to be Christina again and to feel like myself again,” Kreil said.
“I always kind of identified as an athlete and a soccer player and I thought, with all the pain and all, that I wouldn't be able to and it just feels good. It feels like home, feels right,” Kreil said.
